Elizabeth of Sicily | |
---|---|
Queen consort of Hungary | |
Reign | 1272–1290 |
Born | 1261 Naples |
Died | 1303 (aged 41–42) Naples |
Burial | Monastery of St Peter's, Naples |
Spouse | Ladislaus IV of Hungary |
House | Anjou-Sicily |
Father | Charles I of Naples |
Mother | Beatrice of Provence |
Elisabeth of Sicily (1261–1303) was the youngest child of Charles I of Naples and his first wife Beatrice of Provence.
Elisabeth married to Ladislaus IV of Hungary in 1270; she was only seven or eight at the time of the marriage. They had no children.
Ladislaus had neglected Elisabeth for the sake of his semi-pagan family, The Cumans; his mother Elizabeth was a member of the Cuman tribe. Ladislaus always wore Cuman dress and many of his friends were Cumans.
Ladislaus had even spent most of his marriage to Elisabeth chasing after the Cumans, encouraging them to come and live in Hungary. When they wanted to leave Hungary, Ladislaus used his forces to make them stay. Elisabeth was arrested in 1286 so that Ladislaus could live with a Cuman mistress. She was imprisoned in Margaret Island, where she stayed for the next three years. Ladislaus finally reconciled with Elisabeth in 1289. When he found he didn't have enough power to rule over his barons, he rejoined the Cumans.
Ladislaus died in 1290, childless, and he was succeeded by Andrew III of Hungary; Andrew was a distant cousin of Ladislaus.
After her husband's death, Elisabeth returned to Naples, but she returned again back to Hungary. In the year 1294 Queen Fenenna confirmed her the privilege to collect the donations of the church in the Veszprém County. In 1301 she returned to Naples, where she became a Dominican nun at St Peter's monastery (San Pietro a Castello), which had been founded by her sister-in-law Queen Mary. Queen Elisabeth (Isabella d'Anjou) died in 1303 and was buried at the monastery of St Peter's.